The Film Daily (1930)

if HE (»/FILMDOM / ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME OL. LI No. 11 Tuesday, January 14, 1930 Price 5 Cents Earner Bros. Installing Wide Screen Equipment 355,000^ NET BY TTiOMPANIESTn 1929 Ontario M. P. T. O. Disbands; Members Join Pool lidependent Exhibitors Tie up with Booking 1 Organization iToronto — Ontario Branch of the I. P. T. O has passed out of exist(ce with the affiliation of local in(pendents with the Exhibitors CotDcrative of Canada, film buying {ol headed by Earl Lawson, a meniIr of the Canadian Federal ParliaI'jnt. Sixteen community theaters omprise the group for which R. R. '.;nnon, former exchange manager, i buying agent. mANSON CHAIN COST fICURED AT $25,000,000 : Montreal— Total of $25,000,000 will 5 expended by N. L. Nathanson on s theater chain, plans for which We not been changed. This is the atement Nathanson made to a ILM DAILY representative yester•ly. He said plans are now being (epared for 5,000-seat houses in both is city and Toronto. Jooley Ass't Zone Mgr. f Stanley-Fabian Houses Taterson, N. J. — Charles L. Dooley, rmerly with Fabian interests in this ty, has been appointed assistant ::neral zone manager in the Northn New Jersey district with offices Newark. Dooley in his new caiicity will have supervision over 46 'anley-Fabian houses, under conol of Warners in this state. oew's Texas Theaters Change Opening Policy Dallas — Loew's theaters in this ty, Houston, and other towns have langed their opening date policies, ew programs will begin Fridays inead of Saturdays. Lionel H. Keene, uthwestern Loew representative, cently visited these cities regardg the new plan. BUTTERHELD WITHDRAWS FROM MICHIGAN M.P.T.O. Detroit— W. S. Butterfield has resigned and withdrawn his theaters from the M. P. T. O. of Michigan. In the following statement he gives his reasons: "Fifteen years ago, I encouraged the forming of an association of Motion Picture Theater Owners and Managers into a State organization with the idea that the organization should be operated on "One for all and all for one". That was the motto of the organization a'nd its bylaws were drawn up on this basis. I have stood by the organization through thick and thin and have (CotUinued on Page 2) Miniature Phonofilm for Narrow Film Developed Dr. Lee De Forest, research engineer for General Talking Pictures, has developed a miniature Phonofilm for reproducing sound on 16mm narrow width film. The total weight of the sound reproducer and projector, is less than 20 pounds, it is claimed. Patent applications have been filed for the device and preparations are under way for the manufacture of the apparatus for use by amateurs and commercial photographers. $50,000,000 Yearly West Coast Bur. THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — "Fox West Coast Theaters is now doing business at the rate of $50,000,000 yearly," states Harold B. Franklin, in declaring that business during 1929 was the best in the chain's history. Within 60 days construction will start on a $2,500,000 theater and apartment project here. Xhe house, designed for the Grandeur screen, will seat 2,500. DESBERG AGAIN MANAGER FOR LOEW IN CLEVELAND Cleveland — Fred Desberg is understood to be returning as general manager of Loew's 11 houses in this city. He succeeds Howard Price Kingsmore who, it is expected, will be transferred to another territory. Devaney Pinch Hitting in U's Detroit Office Detroit — Leo Devaney, district manager for Universal, is temporarily handling the local office, following the resignation of Ray Moon, who has joined the Co-operative Theater Service Corp. Upon appointment of a Detroit manager, it is understood Devaney will assume new duties in the home office. 35 Warner Bros. Theaters Already Have Wide Screen Pittsburgh Palace to Show Newsreels, Shorts Pittsburgh — Harris Amusement Co. has completed arrangements for the showing of newsreels and short varieties, exclusively at the Palace here. Sound equipment is being installed; the house .seats 400. J. L. White is manager. Warner Bros, is installing wide screens in its theaters throughout the United States and at the present time approximately 35 installations have been made. This is the fifth major circuit to equip itself for enlarged-vision pictures.. The others are: R-K-O, Fox, Publix and Loews. Aggregate Earnings Last Year More Than Double 1928 Total Aggregate net profits of five leading companies. Paramount, Warner, Fox, Loew and RKO, as already reported or estimated for 1929 amount to $55,270,584, which is more t-han double the $26,160,617 netted by the same firms in 1928, according to a summary compiled by "The Wall {Continued on Page 2) Coast Bank Survey Cites Greater Activity in 1929 West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A higher level of activity in the film industry during 1929 as compared with 1928 is reported in the January business summary of the Security-First National Bank of Los Angeles, which says: "The motion picture industry is reported to have operated at a greater level of activity during 1929 than during 1928, due largely to the more extensive production of talking and (Continued on Page 2) New British Company Will Distribute in U. S. London (By Cable)— With contracts for distribution of its product m the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom and Colonies, a new British film company. Artistic Sound Productions, Ltd., has been formed. Alexander Esway will be producer for the firm, which plans {Continued on Page 2) See and Hear^ by WILL H. HAYS Gives You the Highlights of the Industry's Progress. RUNNING SERIALLY Every Day in The Film Daily